Monday, August 29, 2016

Buried Treasures - Super Powers Mini-Comics, part one



Doug: No review this week, kids. Busy, busy, busy with moving our youngest son out of the house (probably permanently) and on to graduate school, and school of my own just kicking my butt to start this year. So, although I meant to bring you something off my beaten path with a review of an old Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, it will wait until a later day. Instead... it's back to the auction block.

Last week we finished a look at some 4-panel comics that adorned the back of the packaging on Mattel's Secret Wars action figures. Now I'm selling my Super Powers stuff and what did I find but several mini-comics! Yay! For your discussing pleasure (but you'd have to leave a comment, you know) I scanned the seven comics that I had. Not all of them turned out perfectly, so we'll take a look at two of the better ones today, and another two at a later date.

I am frustrated, however, that I am having the same difficulty with these that I had with the Secret Wars comics -- who in the world created them? While both the Grand Comics Database and the Comic Book Database have entries, neither site lists creators definitively. So see what you can come up with as you read - recognize anyone's work? Looking through all of the comics, I sometimes got an Ernie Chan vibe; at other places I was feeling the work of Irv Novick.

Have fun!


 
 
 


 
 
 
 


16 comments:

Redartz said...

Those are some pretty cool mini-comics, Doug. I've always had a weakness for unusual items like these; somewhere I've a couple of those old Amurol mini-comics from about 1980. Did these tie in somehow with the Super Powers mini series? Never read that...

Your take on the artists seems likely. I'm not as well-versed on DC creators such as Novick, but Ernie Chan (Chua) seems probable. Not spectacular, but solid and effective storytelling (and hard to get much detail in such a small format, doubtlessly).

Oh, and best of luck to your son, and to your family! Does this mean you now join the rest of us "empty nesters"?

Doug said...

Redartz --

Unless our youngest becomes a "boomerang" child, I think we are officially empty-nesters. He has plans to be engaged next summer, with a wedding the summer after that. Here's to good finances, solid grades, and full-time employment in his future!

They grow up so fast...

Doug

Ward Hill Terry said...

The Batman story sure looks like Jose Delbo to me. The Manhunter story is trickier. Many hands and arms look like they might be originally drawn by Curt Swan!

Doug said...

Thank you, WHT! I like you posit that some of the figures may have been cobbled together from several artists' work. Certainly we know that happened in both Marvel and DC history, and specifically with the first Superman/Spider-Man treasury.

Doug

Anonymous said...

The Batman story definitely looks like it was pencilled by Ernie Chan. My best guess on the inker would be Tex Blaisdell.

Yeah, that Martian Manhunter one is tough -- some panels look like Swan, other panels look like one of the many Neal Adams wannabes. And the cover looks like someone else entirely. I'm gonna say Tod Smith inked by Mike DeCarlo for the interiors. Probably wrong on both....

Doug said...

Thanks, Anon -- you know your DC personnel!

I am not at all familiar with Tod Smith. Everyone else who has been suggested so far, yes. But not Smith's work.

Doug

Martinex1 said...

I apologize for being off topic here... but I was very sad to see that Gene Wilder passed away. Star of Willie Wonka and Blazing Saddles and countless other films from our youth as well as an advocate for ovarian cancer research - he will be missed.

david_b said...

I can't really talk to artists, minutia, etc for this line, but overall, it seems like DC really went much farther than Marvel's Secret Wars. At least DC did more to keep faithful to the Bat vehicles for the line than Secret Wars inventing new 'battle world' accessories.

Both lines did well due to healthy demand for superhero action figures, where we only had Mego's released a decade earlier but still in the $2.99 bargain bin by this point. It was just nice to have the variety, and wished we would have got some of the supposed 'next line-up' of figures like Wonder Girl and Batgirl.

Soooo, who here has the elusive and rare NTT 'Cyborg' figure...?

david_b said...

Thanks Martinex1, AND 'Young Frankenstein'..??

Sheesh, that death came outta nowhere.

Unknown said...

As a child in the 80s, I had some of these popular plastic action figures with the detachable capes. Superman, Batman, Robin, Green Lantern, Lex Luther, etc. I remember these mini-comics fondly, how they would accompany the action figures, and if there was a character I wasn't very familiar with, the mini-comics served to familiarize me with him/her.

I remember the action figures for sale at the mall for about $7 or so each (somewhere in the $6 to $8 range). Usually my older brother would buy them for me, since I was only about ten and couldn't afford them. For me, I hit the jackpot when in '86 (I think it was, maybe '87?) I opened a present one day and inside was the Hall of Justice, the Super Friends' headquarters. Yes, the Hall of Justice itself! Hours and hours of imaginative playtime ensued. Great classic toys!

William said...

Wow! How cool are those? Sadly they are better than most stuff being published by DC today. (LOL)

lilbaggie said...

The Batman story is Jose Delbo and Sal Trapani. Don't recognize the Martian Manhunter one, if I had to guess, i'd say Howard Bender…

Unknown said...

William, I have to agree…

Jay Mitchell said...

Doug! I'm sad I missed out on your Secret Wars figures but am interested in your Super Powers! Please let me know how/when you are selling such things. Thanks!

Doug said...

Hi, Jay --

Super Powers auction ends tonight at 7:30 PM Central Time.

On eBay, search Seller:dlw66

Thanks,

Doug

Anonymous said...

I have the small handheld comic books are they worth anything

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